September 08, 2008

Obama-Biden Will Prosecute the Criminals!

There was a flurry and flutter of hope among many of the progressive faithful last week after reports of a declaration by Joe Biden that an Obama administration might pursue criminal charges against top Bush officials. The happy cry went up: At last, the Democrats are laying it on the line, standing up to defend the Constitution, the rule of law and common human decency againt a vicious gang of mass murderers and tyrannical thugs! Fightin' Joe will lead the way!

But by week's end, Fightin' Joe was caving and cratering in the time-honored Democratic fashion.

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The "surge" -- the escalation of a massive war crime -- is a "wild success," says Obama. The "War on Terror" must be expanded. And no one will be prosecuted for launching a war of aggression on false pretenses, for authorizing the systematic use of torture (a capital crime under U.S. law), for spying on the American people, or any other "possible misdeed."

This is what Obama and Biden themselves are saying, directly, in their own words, at every opportunity. No one is forcing them to say it. And given the fact that more than 70 percent of the American people openly despise Bush and his administration, and more than half believe that this gang has committed impeachable offense -- i.e., high crimes -- it is not even political expedience that compels such statements.

It can only be their own sincere agreement with Bush, McCain and Palin on the fundamental principles that now inform governance of the American state, no matter which faction temporarily holds office: militarism, "unipolar domination" of world affairs by violence and the threat of violence, and authoritarian rule -- however rouged and lipsticked by ritualistic displays of the trapping of a long-vanished republic, as in the days of Rome's first Caesars.

I know it's rude to say that. So stop making me say it! Of course, it could be that we're being visited by omniscient, omnipotent dragon-kraken-manticore-hydra-cyclops-werewolf monsters from Planet Idioticus -- and the monsters are blackmailing the Democrats! The poor widdle Democrats have no choice! Aww, you should feel sorry for the poor widdle Democrats.

It's the system, baby. Learn it, love it, live it. Well, live it until it kills you, along with millions of others.